Backyard Bash

Backyard Bash

 

Yesterday afternoon,  five friends stopped by for five delightful hours of frivolous fun.

 

Author/Dad Christopher and Editor/Mom Amanda  Bailey and their two adorable (and very well-behaved) young daughters, Alex and Erin, were here, as was Christmas Revisited owner Heidi Smith.

 

I started  a fire in our fire pit near the goat pasture at about 1:30, since the Baileys and Heidi were scheduled to arrive around 2 PM. Heidi was running  a wee bit late, and let me know, so when the Baileys arrived we all went out into the open area beyond the goat pasture (under the trees) to sit and watch goats, ducks, chickens and Hunter (one of my cats) because the sunshine was beating down and it was cooler by about fifteen degrees back there.

 

I noticed right away how terrific Alex and Erin are with pets. They have been very well coached by Chris and Amanda; they know to let the animals approach them, instead of chasing after them. In no time at all, the goats surrounded us, and Hunter stopped by to say hello, too.

 

The children were just perfect. I could see why immediately, too. Chris and Amanda are simply amazing parents: patient and attentive but in no way lax when it comes to quickly redirecting and/or coaching while deescalating over-exuberance and borderline unacceptable behavior.

 

The girls (Alex is five; Erin is two) adore each other. Alex takes her responsibility as Big Sister to heart, with heart.

 

I can’t say enough about how impressed I was with the way the Baileys manage their children. Their love is evident, but the kids aren’t spoiled. They’re respectful, courteous, and fun, fun, fun! They aren’t stifled; they’re moderated, always with love!

 

When it came to food, we all contributed something to the menu. Heidi brought hot dog buns and condiments, the Baileys brought hot dogs, a side dish, and dessert (fudge brownies), and I contributed iced tea, chips, soda, and milk.

 

Right away, we moved the lawn chairs underneath the Italian Prune tree to keep everyone safer from the sunshine because there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the temperature was close to 80 degrees.

 

We cooked the hot dogs over the fire while the girls played in the yard and ran briefly through the sprinkler.

 

As soon as we finished cooking the hot dogs, we sat in the chairs under the tree and chatted about a lot of things.

 

Heidi showed us some of the newest Christmas Revisited treasures on her cellphone. If you live in western Washington, you really should catch her at one of their vendor outings. I always get something from her. In fact, the centerpiece for our food table came from Heidi! It’s usually on the table in my kitchen but it was perfect for the backyard bash, so I carried it out there. The windmill blade actually turned in the breeze, too, which surprised us all. Heidi had to take a video of it!

 

When we finished eating, I cleared off the table while Heidi called the goats over from the pasture and turned them loose in the yard to hang with with us for a while.

 

And of course, because we were all under the tree, they came over and started using us, or the arms of our chairs, as “stepping stones” to the Italian Prune tree leaves that were shading us from the sun. I had to quickly put the kibosh on that, because there were tiny green prune pods developing on the branches and I didn’t want the goats to get poisoned eating them. (Stone fruit pits contain arsenic.)

 

I diverted the goats away (for a while) until they started misbehaving by visiting our garden; they ended up back in their pasture after about 20 minutes. But the human gathering continued…

 

Chris and Amanda’s girls are reading at advanced levels and comprehending amazing things. They love to read! Chris and Amanda made sure of that!

 

Chris let us know that Gail Rocheleau sent him an email telling him she loved his book Whisper as much as, maybe even more than, she loved Without Chance which she has been swooning over for months to me and to everyone else who mentions loving books. I agree. I’ve read both of them (and several others he’s penned) and he is a terrific writer.

 

Several times during the day, my sister Jackie or my niece Wendy put their small breed dogs out into the backyard to pee, and as soon as Alex and Erin saw them, they raced over and then stopped short to wait for the dogs to approach them. Another friend, Shonda, brought her small breed dog, too, and when she came out, she raced over to our gathering to delight everyone in attendance, especially the girls. The only brief semi-meltdown of the afternoon was when Charlotte (the dog) was called back inside the house. Erin thought it was the end of the world (for about 45 seconds), but Chris commiserated with her briefly, offered a hug to validate her feelings, and then re-routed her attention to something else, so her smile quickly returned.

 

I was having so much fun all day that I neglected to take photos, but I believe the Baileys and Heidi did, so if they share them with me or on Facebook, I will ask for permission to share them with you here…

 

I know Heidi got  a short video of Mr. Tumnus climbing all over me and my chair to get to the leaves above my head. I saw that one. Funzee!